I've written a book that nobody wants to publish. Admittedly, that's slightly unfair because I haven't spent the last ten years collecting rejection letters from every publisher in Britain, and I'm still at a relatively early stage of trying to find a home for it. Nevertheless, I've discovered something that probably won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who has tried to get a book published: writing one and persuading somebody to publish it are two entirely different th

If your child has been taking guitar lessons for a year or two, you might wonder what they have actually learned. You may know which songs they can play, what grade they're aiming for, or whether their teacher believes they are making good progress. However, these indicators don't always provide a clear picture of the skills they have developed. If you are investing in weekly lessons, whether privately or through a school, it's completely reasonable to seek a more detailed un

What should a child be able to do after a year of learning the guitar? I'd say that's a difficult question to answer because they might have learned six songs or twenty six. They might be preparing for a Grade 1 exam. They might know a handful of chords, a few scales and some riffs. Another child, after exactly the same amount of tuition, might be playing completely different music. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. In fact, it's one of the great strengths of the

Develop good learning guitar habits with Vin Leone So, you want to learn the guitar. That’s a wonderful decision because playing music can bring joy for a lifetime. But before you dive headlong into YouTube tutorials, let me share something I’ve seen many times. When you learn guitar from videos alone, you might feel like you’re making progress at first. But without someone checking how you’re playing, it’s very easy to pick up bad habits-poor hand position, awkward posture,

Learning guitar is an exciting journey, and as your child has takes their first steps, I want you to know something: You don’t need to be...

During one of my guitar lessons, an adult student asked me a thought-provoking question: "Which age group of students learns the...

As a guitar teacher and music performance educator, I’ve noticed a striking difference between students who take the graded path and...

Memorization in Music: A Natural Outcome, Not a Goal Many guitar students believe that memorizing a piece is the fastest way to master it, but in reality, forcing memorization can hinder musical growth. True memorization should not be an explicit goal, it should emerge naturally from deep familiarity and understanding of the music. Learn to play guitar with music and metronome The Problem with Forced Memorization When students focus on memorizing each phrase in an effort to r

One of the best things about being a full-time guitar and music teacher is witnessing my students' improvements week after week. In fact,...

The Art of Effective Guitar Practise: Insights from a Lifelong Student and Teacher One of my long-term guitar students once described me...

Something I hear all the time from my guitar students is the familiar lament of making too many mistakes during a performance or guitar...

If you are a primary school student and want a guitar, then you'll need something 1/2 or 3/4 size that is easy to play. If you are...

So, maybe you've been playing guitar for some time now, but you don't seem to be able to maintain the same rate of improvement that you...

Jamming on Guitar Bob Marley famously wrote a song about it, and guitarists and musicians all over the world love to do it. But, what is...

What kind of guitar do I need? Why do I need lessons? Do I need an amp? How long before I get good? Why are Bar chords so hard? Why can't...

Mature guitar students often have a more difficult time learning the guitar than children because they over-think or are impatient with...

I suspect you are smart enough that you could keep practicing guitar on your own. You could bounce from one thing to the next, wondering...

For context, let me first say something about the guitar grades in general so the answer makes more sense. Understanding The Graded...

I think all children should learn to read music. Their brains are like sponges and the lifelong benefits of learning to read both...

Struggling to get better at playing guitar? Get Good Fast with Vin Leone's accelerated learning method